Protection of ships in groups or convoys



R. RAU.

PROTECTION OF SHIPS IN GROUPS 0B CONVOYS.

APPLICATION man JULY 10, 1918.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

3'SHEETS-SHEET 2- R. RAU.

PROTECTION OF SHIPS IN GROUPS 0R CONVOYS. APPL-{CATION FILED JULY 10. 1918.

r "ma UNITED STATES QFFICE.

RODOLPHE BAU, O13 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.

PROTECTION OF SHIPS IN GROUPS 0R, CGNVOYS.

Application filed July 10, 1918.

Z 0 all whom it may concern Be it lmown that 1., Rononrrtn RAU, engineer, of 115 Rue de Lausanne, at Geneva, Switzerland, citizen of the Confederation of Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or relating to the Protection of Ships in Groups or Convoys; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

lit is known that the convoyinp; of ships or transports in groups is more advantageous than convoying an individual or single ship.

The sandwich class of convoy, where the conveyor is coupled to the convoy on the port and starboard sides is already in use in. calm waters but can not be used on the high seas because of the rigid nature of the couplings which might be dangerous in heavy seas and might occasion rupture of the coupling chains and produce shocks or collisions between the ships.

Further, the exterior or external protecting nets generally employed, only afford relative protection against the attacks of submarines. The reason thereof is that these nets are generally suspended too near the ships hull; they also present breaks in the.

continuity of the net-surface and frequently they do not possess suficient resistance to cope with the action of the cutting devices provided. on automobile torpedoes. Besides by reason of the relatively small diameter of the gromets or rings of the net, the nets have the disadvantage of presenting too great a submerged surface and thus contribute to the resistance offered to the propulsion of the ship.

The present invention has for its object improvements in the protection of conveyed or piloted ships more especially when sailing in groups and purposes diminishing or preventing the disadvantages or inconvenien es above described; thus rendering it possible to employ groups oftransports protected by pneumatic arrangements against dislocation or rupture of the coupling member and against shocks and collisions of the ships between themselves and also giving external or exterior protection against torpedoes by a particular arrangement of the buoyant or partly buoyant nets thereby obtaining a very considerable gain in freight Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 244,244.

protecting means between the ships com-- prising flexible and extensible members, formedby pneumatic cylinders which protect the ships from shocks or collisions between themselves and providing the groups 'of transports with external or exterior protection against torpedoes this protector being formed by a special buoyant net supported or maintained longitudinally of the ships by outriggers and beams movable on universal joints the buoyant nets being towed by a hauling cable attached to a support or prop fixed to the bow of the ship.

The invention is hereinafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which show diagrammatically and by way of example a constructional form affording protection between and around the ships.

Figure 1 shows a plan of a group of ships to be towed protected externally and between themselves.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of 1 showing the ships in the dip or hollow of a wave.

Figs. 3 and 8 show a longitudinal section of the pneumatic protecting arrangements between the ships.

Referring to the drawings A indicates cylindrical floats having conical ends. B are outrigger members attached to the sides of the ship in order to maintain the floats A supporting the nets at the required distance. C are universal joints of the Garden type. D are universal joints connecting the Outriggers B to the floats. E are protectingnets formed by rings or gromets of sufiicient diameter and thickness of metal or wire to stop torpedoes fired by an enemy. F, (it are arms disposed transversely of and across the floats A, which'support the net at one end and a counter-balance. weight at the other end. H is a framework adapted to the prow of each ship and supporting hauling cables K and nets E suspended from the cables. J are'beams to maintain the hauling cables K of the floats A and the nets E parallel to the axis of a ship. L is the cylinder of the pneumatic protector T for obviating or preventing shocks or collisions between the ships. M is the piston and N, O the covers of the cylinder L.

is a head connecting the piston rod to the Cardan joint C. Q are two relief valves in the cylinder covers- R represents the convoy. S the port transport and S the starboard transport. T, T are pneumatic v protectors placed between the ships to prevent shocks by collision. U are'winches or windlasses for the cable K. V are tubes fixed to the framework H and through which pass the cables supporting the net that protects the prows or stems of the ships.

7 7 It. and Y are couphng and traction cables for go-ahead and astern movements.

On referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen thatthe convoyer It is flanked on the port side by a transport S and on the starboard by a transport S. The three ships are interconnected by coupling cables and are 'maintained at a distance from each other by the pneumatic protectors T, flexible and extensible. .The pneumatic protectors (Fig. 3) comprise a cylinder L in which is a pistonM the bottom or cover N being in one with the universal joint C supported on the starboard side of the towed transport S. The cylinder cover O is provided with a stuffing gland and the piston rod ends in a head P which is integral with a second Carda'n oint O having its support on the port side of the hull of the convoy R. On

' valves which allow the excess pressure to' each cylinder cover is mounted a relief valve which during the suction stroke allows a small quantity of air to enter into the cylinder; on the return stroke, this air is compressed and the compression increases to more than ten times that of atmospheric pressure. In order to prevent the pressure exceeding a certain maximum the body of the piston may be provided with two safety pass from left to right or right to left as soon as the maximum pressure 1s attained.

, The normal position of the piston is at midstroke. in which position the pressure on each side of the piston is equal, but as soon as the piston moves from normal position toward the cover N or cover O the pressure increases and reaches its maximum at each opposite end of the stroke.

As the pneumatic protectors T are pro- I vided with a universal joint at each end it follows that each ship is able to accommo-.

date itself to the swell of the sea and that without any sensible reaction of one ship on the other. On account of the extensibility of the protectors T and their flexibility, theships may be caused to approach each other or recede from each other due to wave motion without producing the least shock or collision between the ships.

The coupling or connection between the ships and the proper traction of the towed ships S and S is effected by coupling cables, the cables X being provided for the forward movement and the cable Y for the reverse movement.

Fig. 2 shows the port ship as being pushed against the towing ship R by a wave while the same wave tends to force the starboard ship S away from the tow ing vessel.

In the first instance, the piston M of the pneumatic protector pushed to the bottom of its stroke exercises a maximum pressure on the hull oi": the ship R and in the second instance the protector T being extended some meters and at the bottom exerts a maximum tractive effort on the hull oi. the ship R.

in order to protect a group of three ships Fig. 1, the port ship is protected by buoyant fioats only on the port side and the starboard ship is similarly protected on the starboard side. Buoyant floats E carrying nets are provided at bows of the ships these nets forming continuations of the chains of the floats and being suspended at V from cables K which are supported from the structure H.

The stern of the ships may be protected in a similar manner. f

The outrigrrers B as well as the beams J are pivotally connected toone side of the hull of the ship by universal joints O which permit them to describe an oscillatory movement in a horizontal direction from +90 to 90 and a vertical oscillatory movement through about 90. The outriggers B at their free extremities are connected to floats A by a second universal joint D. i p

This Cardan joint allows each of the floating bodiesto follow its own proper pitching and rolling movement and that without reciprocal action. Consequently whatever may be the inclination of the ship the floats A will always follow the motion of the waves as they pitch and toss. The protector nets E see Fig. 2, are suspended from the frame G which rests across the float A and is extended to F so as to carry the counter weights I that balance the nets I E. This method of suspension is made E and the other which elevates the mass of the counter weights 1; these two masse E, I form a couple having their oint of application in the axis of the ardan joint D. The nets therefore on account of this construction present great flexibility; they catch the torpedo as a ball is caught on the rebound; gradually diminishing its latent power which ultimately becomes null and thus avoids explosion.

The nets being connected end to end do not present any break in the continuity of the protecting surface and on account of the large size of the links or gromets, the immersed surface of the nets will be two or three times less than that of the nets generally employed; consequently the resistance to propulsion is greatly reduced.

If the construction hereinbefore described be used to protect a single ship, it is obvious that, in this case the ship will be flanked on each side, only by a chain of floats A connected between them by coupling cables or chains and towed by a cable K which is drawn through the structure H fixed to the prow of the ship.

The floats A and the protecting nets E are maintained at the desired distance from the hull of the ship by the outriggers B,

parallelism of the chain of floats A with the axis of the ship being assured by the beams J.

I claim:

1. The combination with a series of ships arranged with their axes parallel, means for yieldingly maintaining the ships separated, means for preventing the relative movement of the ships parallel to their axes, a series of floats arranged at the sides of the endmost ships, universally mounted means for supporting the floats separately, and nets supported by said floats.

2. The combination with a ship, of a series of outriggers extending from the side thereof and connected thereto by universal joints, a series of floats connected to the outer ends of said Outriggers by universal joints, arms extending transversely of the float, counterweights on the inner ends of the arms, and a net supported by the outer ends of the arms.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signa ture, in presence of two witnesses.

RODOLPI-IE RAU.

Witnesses:

LOUIS H. MUNIOY, Lnwrs W. HASKELL. 

